Renaissance
by Princess Badass
Summary: It's a cheesy title I know but since I was literally reborn into the series of Naruto, with limited knowledge of the series I watched and read in passing, meeting these people who only got stranger with every event, I think it's kind of appropriate. Don't you? OC thing.
1. Baby Girl

**jinx: Okay, this is my sort of self-insert to Naruto. It's how I feel some people may react to being reborn there and there is my reactions in there but this is _not_ me. I want to make that clear. And also apologize because I should be working on Kleptomania instead of this.**

**Disclaiming Naruto.**

* * *

When I was little, I always wanted a little sister.

I was given two brothers instead.

When I was ten, I always wanted to play football.

I was given a pair of ballet shoes.

When I was seventeen, I wanted to live normally with a job, friends, hopefully start a love life.

I was given a new life in Naruto.

Now don't get me wrong, I had watched the show for a good day or two solid. Around a hundred episodes, that's five hours. Around the same amount of time I spend in school. I wasn't an avid fan though, I knew the main events that happened in a vague sense, I didn't even get to the shippuden series but I knew all the characters names though I wasn't obsessed like some of my friends were. I wrote fanfiction about it though, or tried to. Called myself an expert when I couldn't even get past three chapters in any story. Kind of sad really.

So it was just a normal day when it happened, no rain, no thunder like the gods having wars up in the skies about my fate, nothing but me, a two litre bottle of Dr. Pepper and my laptop. In bed. Still in my pyjamas. At four in the afternoon. Normal day, like I'd said.

I was listening to music, typing up some piece of crap that was no doubt involved in fanfiction and everything went black. Now some people might say that I died, and I don't know if that's true because at first I'd thought that the power went out. Including my laptop and everything. I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, maybe a little queasy but I'd just scoffed an entire bar of chocolate so that wasn't exactly out of place. There was the feeling of falling, but I was still out of it so I wasn't really paying any attention to the feeling.

I can't give you an exact account of something that I wasn't expecting and boy- I really wasn't expecting this.

The light was blinding, when it returned I remember squinting. I opened my mouth to curse, yell something I'd usually have to put some money in the swear jar for but that wasn't the noise that came out of my mouth. It was a wail, like fingers on a chalkboard baby wail. I really wanted to clamp my hands over my mouth, maybe say a few more choice words. I couldn't do that either though. Panic swelled in my chest and the wailing continued, I was annoying myself with it- that's how bad it was. That might not have been the only reason I was annoyed because I had _no freakin' clue what was going on_.

That was when I was picked up, like physically encased in someones arms and all I could think was "_Holy crap, this person must have like ginormous arms to pick me up_" since I was around 5"7. Notice past tense because I wasn't 5"7 any more, instead I stared up at emerald eyes and the familiar blonde pointed fringe which dangled between said green eyes. She was pink in the cheeks and coated in sweat and I had no clue who the hell she was. You'd think I'd recognize who she was immediately but I couldn't even get over the fact that she had huge arms.

She smiled down at me, her lips pursing into a coo and her arms rocking me gently. Like how I'd seen mothers do or read about mothers doing. I heard the strange noise from my mouth slowly quieten, turning into soft whimpers and the tears that were trekking down my cheeks (That I hadn't even noticed) dry up. Her cooing grew and she adjusted me in her arms, one hand slipping to grab my hand and pull it up. That's when I saw my own pudgy fist for the first time.

It was clamped around her finger in a grip only a baby could have, and I was stupid. I was thinking at that time was _whose hand is that_!? I was in shock and like to say that it made me a bit slower than usual.

Then it clicked that it was _my_ hand.

And then the wailing started again, yeah, that was when the panic fully settled in. The woman rocked me harder and the warmth of her chest soothed me so the wailing died down once again. No thought to why, I did what I did when I thought about it, when I needed to. I was going on instinct like babies did when they were born. But I wasn't a baby. I was a seventeen year old girl, I WAS A WOMAN FOR GODSSAKE! I'd gone through all that hard work for the body that I'd had but now I was a pudgy bundle of muscles which would grow up to be a bratty three year old, go through all that hassle for another body.

The woman just kept smiling at me, a mega work out for her cheek muscles. Then a head poked over her shoulder and a man smiled at me as well, I know I was just born and everything but the smiles were really throwing me off. I was having a mega crisis in this tiny body and they were smiling. It's not as if they knew I was having a crisis, can babies have crisis's? They would never know though because I couldn't say anything to them, when I opened my mouth it was to cry or to make those baby noises that people think were cute but are actually really annoying.

Both of them were cooing at me and the warmth was calming me down, despite me in a babies body and in the arms of two people who were vaguely familiar.

Vaguely familiar and supposedly fictional... because I was slowly, no quickly remembering who they were. Whose arms I was in, whose child I was or I presume was their child. Green eyes, the pink hair of the man. The wailing started to erupt from my mouth like a volcano and no amount of rocking or cooing would shut me up this time because I'd realized what I should have done when I first laid eyes on them

I was the daughter, or I hoped I was a daughter because I hadn't had a chance to check out what was underneath the blanket, of Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno.

I really hoped I was a daughter.

* * *

They named me Fuyuko.

I was their daughter, thank god.

Apparently it meant "Child of Winter", or that's what Mebuki said when she convinced Kizashi that that's what they would name me. He just rubbed the back of his head, cracked some joke about me being their early New Years present and agreed with her. No one disagreed with Mebuki Haruno and I quickly learnt this, despite being nearly three days old.

That was another thing I learnt.

That I was a baby.

There was noticing the things, then there was staring at your reflection, being toted around in some woman's arms like a puppy in a purse and looking at your birth certificate. There in black and white was my name, **Fuyuko Haruno**, it wasn't as flowery as Sakura's...

Sakura.

Then as Mebuki said goodbye to the midwife, I broke out into another bout of inconsolable wailing. The previous having lasted three hours until I fell asleep, exhausted. Sakura Haruno, the whiny kid from Naruto would be my sister. Was I going to have pink hair because if I was I would have cried even more. I think I did at that point, but I wasn't me any more. That was what really got to me, no brown hair which I had previously detested for being so short, no green eyes that I had compared to the hulk, no freckles or beauty mark which I had covered up with foundation.

Would I even remember who I used to be?

I was going to be a big sister though, I would finally have a sister, I'd be able to do the things I didn't get to do back then. It was a very small, minuscule, non-existent comfort which quietened my ear-shattering wails into whimpers that would carry on throughout the day. Days were really short when you were a baby, because you sleep most of the time. You meet other babies and you talk in gibberish and you poop and sleep. That is literally all I did for the first year or two of my life and I'm proud of it.

In that year of my life I quickly came to terms with the fact that I was never going to have my old life back. Okay that was a total lie because I spent eight out of twelve months of that year crying because of the fact that I wouldn't have my old life back. It's not like I had anything else to take my mind of that fact, I was a baby! What else are babies supposed to do? No, I wallowed in my own sadness. Something else babies shouldn't do. Because of my weird and depressing behaviour, the Haruno's took me to many doctors to find out what was wrong with me but all were telling them that I was a normal baby.

It was kind of my rebellion over the fact that I would never be happy in Narutoland, as I liked to refer to it as.

That was the statement that I repeated to myself eight out of those twelve months. Other than missing my own parents though, I quickly fell in love with the Haruno's as my parents. And that wasn't a lie. I could see why Sakura loved but got annoyed at them at times. They were your average parents but they were funny and loud and crazy at times.

"_Mebuki, you can't watch her sleep all night." Kizashi told Mebuki one night when they thought I was asleep. She had placed me in my cot and then taken a seat next to it, her elbow rested on the crib edge and chin rested in the cradle of her hand. She looked down at me with such love that I wished I could remember these days when in my Old Life. She ignored Kizashi though, batting the hand that wasn't supporting her head at him. He laughed at her quietly and came to stand behind her, one hand resting on her shoulder._

"_She's so tiny." Mebuki whispered, if I wasn't focusing on what they were saying I would never have caught it. I turned my little head to face towards them and opened my eyes to face them. Mebuki had tilted her head to the side now and met me with a smile._

"_Come on, we're keeping her awake." Kizashi murmured, despite his fond smile and making funny faces at me to make me laugh. Mebuki used the hand that she had batted him away with to cover his hand. They both looked at me, like I was a billion bucks, like I was made of pure gold. I wasn't a parent so I didn't know how it felt to love your own creation unwaveringly but they looked at me like that. They made my heart melt with the way they looked at me. _

_Mebuki quietly stood up and leaned into the cot, her lips pressed against my forehead and she whispered a soft goodnight to me. I snuggled further into the mattress and watched with following eyes as Mebuki left the room whilst Kizashi bent into the crib as well and pressed his lips against my temple. He smiled down at me and whispered wors of love that would usually make me squirm and flush in embarrassment. He pulled up the little blankets though and tucked me in before looking over his shoulder._

_He then turned back to me and grinned, taking the seat that Mebuki had taken a moment ago and just sat there. _

_When Mebuki came back half an hour later, she wasn't happy. She screeched at him under her breath how he was using underhanded techniques to get their only daughter to prefer him; he chuckled and held his hands up in innocence, wincing when her fist contacted with his head. Mebuki was really angry at him but I wasn't, for the first time I was content and that was when I laughed for the first time in Narutoland. _

They followed me round the house and they took me to meet their other civilian friends around Konoha, but I sat there in front of other babies in silence. I didn't know what to do, I didn't even know how to act like a proper baby half of the time. There was that one time which I helped Kizashi win poker against Mebuki- that made him laugh for an hour. It just came naturally to me to forget about my baby body.

Mebuki referred to me as a 40-year old woman in a babies body once.

And this was before I started talking.

I half expected them to ship me off to the doctors, tell them about how weird their first daughter was acting but they didn't, well not about the behavior which I thought was weird. I was still shipped off to them about my crying all the time but boy, was I happy they didn't find me too weird. I had developed a fear of the doctors since I landed in Narutoland. Always scared that they'd find out somehow that I wasn't meant to be here, that I'd be under the microscope faster than you could say Freak. It was irrational since I knew they would never find out, no one would ever know. It was a secret like being a Jinchuuriki. Though I'd never tell any one this secret. Never ever.

Today was one of those days where I was left with Kizashi as Mebuki went to the market with her friend from a few doors down. He just sat me on his lap and we watched TV together, the childrens programs having annoying the both of us so he put on some decent drama. It was really quiet in the house of Haruno when Mebuki and Kizashi weren't together. They filled the silence with arguments and jokes.

Kizashi talked to me, tried to get me to say 'otosan' when I was eating my food but I 'accidentally' flipped my bowl of mashed peas into his face. He laughed along with me as he cleaned the green goop off of his face, he didn't stop trying though and I tried as well. I knew how to do it but it was learning how to move my muscles all over again. I managed to make a little sound similer to otosan when I was around six and by then Mebuki was in on the conspiracy. I kind of felt sorry for Sakura if she had to go through this when she was my age but she'd take it in her stride. She wouldn't have this consciousness as I did- I was kind of jealous of Sakura too for that.

At six months old, I started remembering less and less of my Old Life. Friends faces were blurry and their names were always hard to grasp. I still clung onto as many memories as I could though, locking them away in the back of my mind. Knowing they would come back to bite me later on somehow- they usually did in Naruto.

Then the day came where I could say my first word- ironically, it was when no one was there. I said my first word and Mebuki heard it through the baby monitor in my room and came running in. Instead of indulging in their little competition, I chose to say neither of their names. Choosing for the safety word;

"Food!"

When I said it, I was held up in her arms. Mebuki sighed and let her head drop in sadness and disappointment. It made me laugh, a giggle escaping my lips. The really obnoxious baby giggles that make your cringe. She looked up at me a smiled though, chuckling with me and rubbing her nose against mine.

That's when I let it slip.

"kaachan"

It really was to stop the dejected look on her face, she looked like I'd kicked her puppy but you never would have known that if you had walked in to see her megawatt smile. She pressed a load of kisses on my face before jogging out of the room with me in her arms- she ran into the living room where Kizashi sat.

"She said it!" Mebuki told him triumphantly and I watched as he had the same reaction as Mebuki did at first, his head falling forward in disappointment with a sigh. So just to spice things up;

"'tosan" I still hadn't gotten the hang over everything yet. This was a major improvement though and they looked so happy at that point. Kizashi got up at that point and hugged both Mebuki and myself, well I was crushed in between the two of them and I could almost convince myself if I closed my eyes that they were my parents from my Old Life.

* * *

The first year was pretty boring like I'd said but I learnt to walk after my first birthday, a bit of a later bloomer apparently but my first steps were once again taken when my parents weren't there. They had left me with one of Mebuki's friends when they went out for the night. I was stuck with the civillian baby that enjoyed chewing on what little hair I have in the first place.

Oh yeah, my hair.

Like I'd said beforehand my hair used to be brown but I'd always wanted it a different colour until this happened. I'd wanted it blonde, blues, reds, greens, black and anything other than pink. So imagine how I feel when the hair that comes through after all falling out, is a startling red. Not ginger, blood red. Like Gaara or Sasori red. Kizashi had said his family came from a long ling of red's and pinks but it hadn't really sunk in until it was like a pixie cut around by chubby cheeks.

But when I took my first steps, they were wobbly and after one small step I slipped onto my bum. Yuka, Mebuki's friends daughter who was watching us in the front room, stared at me for a moment before smiling indulgently and also excitedly. She clapped her hand and beckoned me over, to try again. I was going to try again any ways if she did or didn't encourage me.

I got to my feet again and took another step, this time though I took another and another until I stumbled into Yuka's arms. She lifted me up excitedly and cooed at me, by this time I could still hit her and get away with it. So after she patronized me for another minute, my fist 'accidentally' landed in her eye. She winced and cried out loud enough for her mum to poke her head into the living room.

"Yuka-chan? What's the matter?"

"Fuyuko-chan just took her first steps!" Yuka told her with a wide smile, though she winced again "And also got me in the eye."

Mitsuko clapped her hands in delight and took me from Yuko, who whined at her mum for not paying any attention to her injured eye, and placed me on the floor again next to her son. Mebuki took the seat where Yuka had sat and did a similar action, this time though instead of going towards the patronizing tone I stood on my little feet and walked to where the front door was.

I heard Mebuki and Kizashi's voice come through and knew that they were close, which was really good timing. They didn't bother knocking either when they opened the door, so they came to face to face with me when they walked in. They stood stock still as I stood there in a white onesie, my fist in my mouth and looking damn adorable if I do say so myself. They didn't move so I giggled again and ran, oh yeah it was getting easier and easier, back into the room where Mitsuko sat.

I ran back to Yuka and hugged her legs, almost as an apology for hitting her in the eye.

"When did this happen?" Mebuki asked as she walked into the living room, reaching down and picking me up with a big smile. Kizashi wasn't listening to the answer and was playfully glaring down at me as I koala-clung to Mebuki's side- hiding my face into her neck with a smile. Kizashi moved though and took me out of Mebuki's arms and pointed his finger at me.

"I think you're doing this on purpose now young lady," Kizashi said jokingly, laughing when I nodded my head in agreement to his statement.

And it's true, I was doing it on purpose. I didn't really want them to see my biggest achievements, another form of rebellion that they'd never see these things that my Old Life Parents saw. It was petty and half of the time I didn't realize what I was doing.

My second year was very much like my first year, very boring but a good three months after my second birthday I went on my first official outing other than to the Market, to someone else's house, nope. We went to the park. It was quite a big park with a few swings, a couple of slides and just a field for kids to run around but still be in their parents eye sight. I thought the park would be fairly unexciting really.

Until we ran into Mikoto Uchiha and a little two year old Itachi walking by her side.

Itachi Uchiha, aka, one of the most infamous people in Naruto because he killed his entire clan except from his brother. Yeah, now he's the same height as me with chubby cheeks and adorableness which would make me sound like Mebuki and Kizashi when they first saw me. I wouldn't stoop to that level though. And technically they were the first characters I was meeting, because Mebuki and Kizashi didn't count. That's what I decided.

Mikoto was nice, I had decided a long time ago that she would have probably been my favourite mother out of all of the mothers in Konoha. She just seemed so sweet looking but then she'd turn around and cut some ones head off for threatening her babies. That's just awesome.

"Mebuki, it's so nice to see you again!" Mikoto chimed, leaning forward to hug her. The blonde laughing and hugging Mikoto back. I honestly never would have thought that these two women would be friends and apparently Kizashi didn't know they were this friendly as he turned to me, faithfully stood by his side hanging onto his leg and shrugged his shoulders. I shrugged them back and Kizashi laughed, thinking I was simply copying him. I rolled my eyes secretly but was very wary when I saw some sharp onyx eyes watching me from besides his own mothers leg.

"Mikoto, it's been ages. How's that husband of yours treating you?" Mebuki asked, drawing my attention once again. Mikoto waved her hand and gave Mebuki a knowing look which made both of them giggle.

"You know how it is," Mikoto replied, smirking when Mebuki turned around and looked at Kizashi for a second before turning back to Mikoto with an expression that said '_Don't I know it?_'. That was when Mikoto looked down and smiled at me. Of course I just tried to hide behind Kizashi's leg. " And who's this little girl?"

Now the fact I was being acknowledged by another character actually made me blush and this made Mebuki laugh. Like a lot.

"She's not usually this shy, Fuyuko-chan come out and say hi to Mikoto." Mebuki murmured, gesturing to me. I winced slightly and came out from behind Kizashi's leg with a small wave of my pudgy hand. Mikoto cooed and aw'd at me, commenting to Mebuki how she wanted a daughter and hoped her next child would be one. I felt the need to snort, what a disappointment she got Sasuke. .. but with the way he acted, he was practically a girl anyway with the moods he went through.

"Hello," I murmur quietly, my hands folded in front of me and my eyes on the floor. I don't mind it, for once, when Kizashi puts his hand on my head. Mikoto crouches before me though, her head a couple of inches above mine- making me look up at her.

"Hello Fuyuko-chan, I'm Mikoto. You're kaachan and I were in the same Academy class." Mikoto told me with that smile I'd seen her give to Sasuke in one of the random episodes I watched. I glanced up at Mebuki in shock, watching as she nods to me in agreement and I turn to smile at Mikoto.

"Really?" I ask, and Mikoto nods with an indulgent smile. She stands back up and ushers Itachi forward, I pretend to not notice the conspiring look the mothers share. Really? I'm not even three years old and they are trying to get me together with Itachi? Sorry nope, Itachi can only be shipped with a select few in my opinion and I'm not going to get in their way.

"Itachi, say hi to Fuyuko-chan." Mikoto told her son quietly, rolling her eyes when he said exactly what she'd said. "Well, why don't you two go off and play whilst us parents talk."

Kizashi nods his head at me, and I walk off towards the slide with Itachi quietly following me. I didn't really know what to do, I was two and a half bordering on three at the moment and had no clue on the border of my abilities. I couldn't copy Itachi either since he was a supposed prodigy. I didn't want to set a bar too high and have Sakura grow up with the same complex that Sasuke was forced to grow up with.

I sit down in the sandbox, deciding that would be the safest option. Itachi sitting next to me awkwardly as I immediately set about making my first sandcastle.

"So you're Itachi, right?" I ask him, not taking my eyes off of my sandcastle. I wonder if there was anything I could decorate it with. I know that Itachi nodded though, I could see it out of the corner of my eye. "I'm Fuyuko."

He nodded once again and set about staring at my sandcastle. I pondered for a moment, wondering how to make friends with the Uchiha Heir but not come across as anything too outstanding. And idea popping into my mind.

"Let's have a competition." I told him with a small smile and mischievous look, well I hope it was mischievous. I could practically see his ears perk up at the prospect of a challenge and his eyes looking into mine. His impassive stare broken for a moment with the expressive lift of an eyebrow which reminded me of when Mebuki called me a forty-year old woman. "See who gets the best decorations for the sandcastle. They can be anything from anywhere or anyone but if you get in trouble or caught then you lose."

Itachi nods at me, and inwardly I breathe a sigh of relief for managing to snag his attention for a brief amount of time. So the competition started, Itachi immediately darted off to a bunch of women with flashy jewellery. I looked at him in shock as he charmingly sat down next to the toddler and struck up a conversation with smiles and giggles. I knew he was try to snatch the ladies bracelet though. I really had to up my game.

So I walked over to where our parents sat and beamed at Kizashi, my dad, who smiled back down at me.

"Otosan can I have your necklace? I wanna show Itachi-kun." I told him innocently enough and with a wink that told me he knew what had gone down in the sandbox, he pulled off the pretty necklace that was in the shape of a Cherry Blossom and handed it to me. It really was nice, with rose quartz in each petal and a flashy diamond in the middle. It looked a lot nicer than what was shown in the episode Road To Sakura.

I jogged back and met Itachi in the sandbox, both of us showing each other our treasures. We sized each other up for a moment. I think he realized I wasn't the standard level toddler with how I grinned at the fact that we drew, his lips twitching into a faint, really small smile when I told him.

"I think it's a draw, Itachi-kun."

"You cheated."

"I didn't get caught or in trouble, so I didn't break the rules." And I stuck my tongue out at him. It was safe to say I was in the clear with Itachi. Now it was just the rest of Narutoland that I felt I had to convince that I belonged there.

* * *

"Fuyuko-chan, how would you feel if you had a little brother or a little sister?" Mebuki asked me a month before my third birthday, and I immediately choked on my breakfast. My thoughts were flying through my head, was it Sakura? It couldn't be Sakura... what if I had changed the plot? It couldn't be Sakura. Really, it couldn't be because Mikoto wasn't pregnant yet and Itachi hadn't reached five years old and neither had I. That would be when we both got our baby siblings.

So... this meant that Mebuki would miscarry. And the fact that I knew but couldn't warn her was sad, it was tragic actually.

"Um... that would be... cool." I said quietly, wiping my mouth on the back of my sleeve. Mebuki rubbed my hand reassuringly.

"We won't love you any less but with the new baby, we're going to have to spend a lot of time with it" Mebuki explained to me slowly, and that's when the tears start to prick my eyes. She was so excited for this new baby, I could see it in her eyes. Did this happen in the original plot as well? Did she miscarry before Sakura?

"Yeah, that'll be good!" I say, scrunching my eyes up as I smile so they can't see my tears "I need to pee."

There was no time for many a I quickly jumped down from the table and ran over to where the bathroom was. I locked the door quietly, reaching up to lock the door. It wasn't unusual for me to do that because I've been doing it since I could reach and since I was potty trained- (A completely embarrassing learning experience that I _never_ want to go through again). That was when I let the tears fall down my cheeks as well for the baby brother or sister that neither me or Sakura would ever get to meet. It wasn't as if I cared for the baby but these people, Mebuki and Kizashi were now my parents and they wanted this baby.

Mum and Dad wanted this baby, because they were my Mum and Dad. I could try to not love them like I did with my parents form my Old Life but they are just another set of parents now. I love them both equally because they were there for me both times and now my Mum and Dad in my New Life are going to suffer heartbreak from losing this baby.

And there is nothing I can do or say to stop it without implicating myself somehow.

Or that's what I tell myself as my paranoia builds.

I sighed and actually went to the toilet, because I realized I actually needed it and flushed the toilet behind me. Washing my hands, on the little steps that Kizashi had bought me, I looked into the mirror. Really looked at my reflection. My skin was pale, like Sakura's it was a nice milky colour and I had no freckles. Something I was really sad about because I love my freckles but only after I didn't have them. My eyes did turn out to be a similar green to the ones I used to have, a bit darker and a lot like Mebuki's. My hair had grown a bit more and hung by my chin in a cute bob, still the rose red which I loved.

It was weird, I still looked the same as I used to but I didn't at the same time. I would never get used to looking in the mirror, Mebuki- Mum, once commented on it saying that I was growing up to be as vain as _her_ sister. (A crazy lady which she promised me we would never go to visit ever again). She didn't understand though and never would. I smile at my reflection and briefly see my old reflection peer back at me for a moment before I was staring back at my red-headed self.

Jumping down, I open the door and carry on with my New Life.

One day at a time.

* * *

**Jinx: I do hope you like it because this is my first OC related thing that I've done in a _long_ while. erm, read and reveiw is all I've got to say really... -Shrug-**


	2. Sweet Child

**Jinx: I, uh, didn't expect such a reception for this fanfic if I'm honest so I'm really happy that you like it and I hope that I don't screw it up. I have had mixed messages from reviewers about their opinion on Fuyuko meeting Itachi and to be fair that was just a filler and helping Fuyuko's growth since it was her first main Naruto character outside of the Haruno will be quite a few OC's in this because of the time it was set in, but I'll try to do my best and I do have the next four chapters planned out and ready to go...**

**And we'll just see where that gets us :)**

**Disclaiming Naruto, because I'm dumb.**

**There is also a poll on my profile currently- if you would care to just have a browse at that, that would be brilliant. thanks chickies. **

* * *

When Mum miscarried, she was distraught.

I don't know if it was a boy or a girl but I know she loved that baby as much as she loved me. That night she came home from the hospital with tear tracks down her cheeks, Dad had his arm wrapped around her shoulders and she held me all night. She refused to let go of me and I did the same to her. I laid my head on her chest as she sprawled in bed with me, listening to her heartbeat as she rested her chin on top of my head and her steady breathing tickled my scalp.

My eyes were closed but I couldn't sleep, Dad had offered to sleep in the living room for that night. I was so used to blearily waking up at three in the morning when he came in to check on me at this point. Instead of my own bed as well, I was sleeping in my parents bed. A place some children are used to sleeping in when they run to their parents room after a nightmare but I had never even been in this room and I've been in Narutoland for three years now, going on four eventually. The place was cosy, nice and warm earth tones but it wasn't my bedroom. The shadows that crossed these walls scared me more than that time which Dad had left the TV on the horror channel for a minute too long.

I sighed, my breath brushing against Mum's neck and making her squirm for a moment in her sleep. I heard the door creak open and I glanced up, careful not to wake Mebuki up. Kizashi poked his head round the door and smiled at me, his footsteps silent as he came to stand next to the bed.

"Will kaachan be okay?"

"She'll be fine, she's a strong crazy woman." Kizashi murmured, gazing at his wife lovingly. I had the inane need to say ew but I didn't. Mebuki, Mum, shifted in her sleep and both Kizashi and I froze. She just snorted in her sleep and moved her legs though. We let out of a sigh in unison. She was scary when she was woken up, in my Old Life I thought I was cranky in the morning. Jeez, I had nothing on Mebuki.

Her arms tightened around me slightly, I could hear her quiet whimpers under her breath as she slept on. I could also see the tears in Kizashi's eyes at the state his wife was in. The guilt nagging at me was constant, I could have said something, done something. I could have, should have, would have's meant nothing from a three year old though. Words forewarning about her miscarriage would have meant nothing from a three year old. I hiccuped slightly under my breath and tried to constrict my breathing- trying not to cry.

I didn't want to cry.

Kizashi grasped my shoulder lightly though and turned me towards him, his brows pulled into a frown as he cooed and pulled me from Mum's grasp. He placed me on his knee and rocked me slightly, like my Mum did from my Old Life. His chin resting on my head and both arms wrapped around me as I cried into his shirt- the guilt eating me alive.

"I-I'm sorry," I blubbered, and at this point I wasn't even lucid- just in a state of despair which was making Kizashi cry. His shoulders jumping slightly as his own sobs racked his body but he didn't make a noise and just held me close as we both cried. I'd be embarrassed in the morning but I couldn't think of that as tears just poured down my cheeks and I tried not to cry too loud to wake my Mum up. "I-I'm _so_ sorry."

I fell asleep cocooned in his arms, waking up with my thumb in my mouth and my eyes stinging.

Mebuki was no longer in the bed on the other hand, Kizashi still asleep and slumped over awkwardly. So as I slipped out of his grasp, I gently pushed him onto the bed and tried to shift him into a more comfortable position. It didn't really work since his bum was in the air and face pressed into the sheets but it was better than before. Shrugging, I wandered out of my parents bedroom and into the living-room/ kitchenette. I really fancied some cereal bars at the moment and didn't expect Mum to already be up making us egg and bacon.

Her back was to me so she didn't see me stumble and stare at her in confusion- she wasn't singing like she did when she usually cooked, her movements slow and seemed to be weighed down.

She seemed so tired, so I just walked over and gripped her dressing gown- hugging her legs lightly and listening to the sizzle of the bacon in the pan.

* * *

The Academy.

I wanted to be a ninja, _everybody_ wants to be a ninja but it's more of a thing about _Can you be a ninja_?

"I want to join the Academy," I said quietly at dinner one night, watching as Mum took another bite of her onigiri before placing the leftover rice onto her plate. Chewing quietly, I just stared at her- waiting for her response. I think she took great pleasure dragging the wait out though. She was torturing me. Kizashi was quietly drinking his tea, eyes darting between us and shuffling backwards away from the table.

Good sign.

"So you want to be a Kunoichi?" Mebuki asked genially, watching me as I nod my head eagerly. She shared a glance with Kizashi at this point, what were they planning? I shuffled away from the table just a little bit, knowing that Mum's dynamic actions usually caused a bit of mess. And I was right as she stood up quick as a flash and slammed her foot on the table, pointing at me. "And why do YOU want to be a Kunoichi!?"

Many times I think that Mebuki and Gai Maito would have been related in another life if not this one.

The room was silent for a moment as Mebuki composed herself and sat back down in her seat but I knew the question still stood. Why did I want to be a ninja? Of course it was because I _could _become a ninja. It wasn't a legitimate career choice back in my Old Life. Neither was being a pirate, a princess, a dragon or a dinosaur but being a ninja would be pretty cool. Sometimes I didn't understand why people took it too seriously, being a ninja that is because to all the audience it just looks really cool.

But it's all about patriotism, loyalty to their village. Something I didn't really understand but I was trying to. I really did love Konoha and I would hate for it to be ruined in the future events. Mainly I could help though, which is something I wanted to do in my Old Life. I wanted to be a Doctor or a Police Officer so I could protect the innocent and fight bad guys. I wanted to help people and being a Shinobi would do that as well. I looked up at Mebuki with a smile that I only gave to the two of them.

"I want to help, I want to protect my family." I said quietly, there was nothing noble about my intentions. Nothing grand or big like being Hokage; I just wanted to be the best I could be to protect my family. It was kind of a simple reason, one pure reason which I was and still am proud of. I could tell that Mum and Dad were proud as well when they shared that glance once again and smiled. The smile which I had seen when Mebuki had tried to watch over me all night, when Kizashi watched me learn to swim. It was a smile I'd probably give my kids some day.

"It's a good thing we signed you up last week then, isn't it?" Kizashi stated merrily as he finished the last of Mebuki's food- winking at me even though he was given a hard hit to the head.

I wasn't even listening- I had already jumped up and started to dance around the room. I'd be embarrassed about it later but right now I'm to busy being NINJA!

And a Ninja I would be.

But walking into the Academy on my first day, now that's rough.

"Now children, we're all going to introduce ourselves. Just your names please." Our Academy instructor asked with a wide smile as he wrote his own name on the chalk board. I didn't even bother to read his name and just shuffled closer to Itachi, he was going to leave next year because he was a certified genius so I thought I might as well talk to one of the only people in the class which I knew. We'd only met once or twice throughout the six years I'd been alive and none had resulted in the same way as our first encounter did.

Maybe he was just out of character for a moment?

"Uchiha Itachi." Itachi stated quietly, my eyes set rolling when there were a few girls which were whispering to each other about how cute he was, then all eyes turned to me and I realized that it was my turn for the introduction. Of course, I just blushed.

"Uh, Haruno Fuyuko." I just said before ducking my head back down, the teacher nodded and then turned for the rest of the class to introduce themselves. I sighed in relief and leant my chin on the cradle of my palm, mind scattered over varied thoughts. I was away with the fairies as my Mum from my Old Life had said. It was weird to be back, or start in this case, in a structured environment. School in the Old Life had been boring but I found that as the introductions ended and the explanations of chakra and such things continued that it would be a lot different.

The first day was mainly about setting out the schedule and introducing everyone to each other and all of the subjects.

So when I left the Academy and walked home for the first time, I opened the door and was met with expectant faces of my parents. Mebuki was sat in the living room calmly but Kizashi had waited for me at the front door. I just smiled at him and he grinned back, swooping down and picking me up once again. I thought this might have stopped after a while but I quickly realized that my dad just loved carrying me round. Like a new accessory, puppy in a bag.

"So how's my little Kunoichi? How was the Academy? Did you make any friends? Did you meet any boys? Were they too friendly?" I laughed at the last one which he growled out. Mebuki must have heard him as well because she snorted from behind the book she had started to read. Kizashi sneered at her before turning his attention back towards me, his eyes lighting up mischievously. We walked into the kitchen, Dad already preparing dinner which was different since Mum usually did it in fear that Kizashi would burn the house down.

Dad just held me as he continued to stir whatever was in the pan, the same song which he hummed to me when he was trying to get me to stop crying when I was a baby. I had the song memorized to heart and planned on singing it to Sakura so Mebuki or Kizashi didn't have to. Sakura's birth was something I was dreading.

I've always wanted a little sister but after being an only child for nearly six years, the idea of another child coming and stealing away their attention was daunting. I wanted to keep them to myself as long as possible because I knew how it felt to go unnoticed my your parents and I really didn't want to have to go through that all over again. In my Old Life, my little brother was a brat and stole their attention. he was good at everything I wasn't and whenever I was good at something he decided to do something bad to steal their attention away.

If Sakura turned out the same way, I was going to kick and scream and cry.

"By the waaaaay," Kizashi started as he put me to the ground, that mischievous smile making me nervous "your Obasan (Aunt) came round with a present for you."

"Really?" I asked excitedly, whilst Mebuki's sister my be slightly insane she knew how to get a good present. My high quality warrior Kimono that she got me from Land of the Moon- on her honeymoon with her third husband. I clapped my hands and ran into the living room where I saw the package laid on the sofa next to Mum. She waved her hand, saying come and get it then. I ran forward and started to rip the paper around it and stared in awe as bit by bit the present was revealed. And it was a doozy.

Auntie had gone all out when buying me this brand-spanking new katana. Oh yes, it was around the same height as me currently since it was an adults weapon but the hilts was red and gold with a single black tassel on the end. The blade gleaming under the living room lights with a single kanji printed underneath the hilt. The sheath was equally as pretty as it matched the handle. I just stood there and held it for a good ten minutes, just looking at my very own weapon in awe. It was something that you don't just get over in a matter of seconds, i wanted to stare at this baby for a long while.

"My Imouto does know how to spoil you." Mebuki muttered dryly as she sipped her herbal tea.

* * *

"Kaachan!" I called out in the middle of the night, the floor was shaking and all I could feel was terror clawing it's way through my throat. I was ashamed to think I was seventeen but the four year old inside of me wanted to scream for her Mum which is what I did. She ran into my room and picked me up, something she hadn't done since I turned three but I didn't say anything but buried my face in the side of her neck.

I always wondered how I would react in a disaster but now I know why people say that they couldn't do anything.

The fear, the terror, it was suffocating. Like drowning in an ocean of oxygen- you know you can breathe but the ability leaves you. I knew what was going on, I knew exactly what was going on and I could hear their screams and the roar of the fox.

It was also Naruto's birthday.

We hadn't been evacuated because we lived on the outskirts of the civilian district. A place which had been deemed safe but the roar of the Kyuubi seemed to prove their statement wrong. I could hear Dad rushing around and looking for supplies as Mum grabbed my blanket and wrapped me in it. She stared at me and kissed my cheeks, wiping away the tears that I didn't know I was crying. She whispered to me how everything would be okay and there were tears in her eyes as she tried to convince herself that we would be okay.

"Kizashi!" Mebuki shouted out of the doorway, wincing as plaster fell from the ceiling and the shaking grew beneath her feet. Kizashi ran to Mebuki, holding her closely as another large tremor ran through the building and I could only snuggle into the warm cocoon which my parents made for me. I wanted to cry, I think I was at that point but I just kept my eyes close and head against Mebuki's chest- trying to listen to her heartbeat over the roar of mountains shaking.

"Move." Dad muttered gruffly as he guided us out of the house and we ran down the road, following the steady stream of civilians heading towards the closest exit to the village. I glanced out when the roaring faded and saw us coming close to one of the safer places- a small cave in the side of the Hokage Mountain. All civilians, pregnant women, the elderly were taken into the cave.

When we got closer to the cave, Mebuki put me down so I could walk alongside her. I was still in my ridiculous shuriken pyjamas with my slippers on. I tried to keep up with their brisk pace but fell behind slightly only to be tugged along by Mebuki's grip on my wrist. I glanced back and watched the orange blur lash one of it's tail, a tremor accompanying the movement. I immediately tried to walk faster, to get away from the Demon.

"Kaachan? Niisan?!" I heard a desperate wail, and that's when I glanced back properly- looking at the little brunette which was clumsily wandering against the flow of the stream. She looked lost, she looked scared, she looked how I felt. My heart went out for the girl because she didn't know what was going on- I did.

Breaking free of my Mum's grip and ignoring her yelp, I darted into the crowd and weaved my way through long legs and clunky shoes to where the small figure stood. She was in my class at the Academy I realized as I got closer, known as one of the smallest in the entire class and she was since she only reached my shoulder in height . I grabbed her hand, she turned to face me with those big eyes and I just smiled comfortingly at her.

"Come on, I'll help you find them in there." I told her, watching as she hesitated for a moment before nodding and following me as I walked back to Mebuki- who was practically tearing her hair out. She almost cried in relief when she saw me.

"Haruno Fuyuko! Don't you ever do that again young lady!" She said sternly but it didn't really work as she fell to her knees and hugged me close to her- not really noticing the little girl next to me. She wiped her own emerald eyes and kissed my forehead affectionately before noticing the little girl which had taken to using me as a shield. "Who's this little cutie?"

"Mm'Akira." The girl, Akira, murmured around the thumb she had stuck into her mouth.

"She's lost." I told Mebuki, watching as her eyes softened but hardened all at the same time. My Mum was a crazy lady, brilliant but crazy. She nodded at me and held her hand out for Akira to take- which she did surprisingly and not minding when my Mum asked to pick her up. Kizashi strides over with his unbearably long legs and swept me up into his arms. His fingers running up and down my rib cages with a proud smile.

I laughed as we walked into the cave, Genin and some Chuunin set up to guard us during our time there.

The cavern was humongous and there were sections for food and sleep, occasionally the ground would tremble beneath our feet and small amounts of debris would fall from the roof of the cave. we were directed by a Chuunin to an empty grounds where blankets and pillows had been set up for us to stay for the night. For the next amount of time since I'm not really all that sure how long the Nine Tailed Fox attacks for. Stupid limited Naruto knowledge.

Kizashi laid me down onto one of the blankets, next to Akira which Mebuki had put down and we just sat there and stared at each other.

I saved the girl, doesn't mean that we're obviously going to become super-duper amazing best friends for ever.

I don't think I can put that into an acronym but the brown haired girl smiled at me once again and pulled the thumb from her mouth. She sat next to me and simply laid her head on my shoulder, falling to sleep instantly. lights out for Akira and there wasn't a peep from her since. We'd probably talk when she woke up- or when I found her brother or mum. Which was something I should have been doing at the moment but now that the panic had left me and the fact that I had woken up in the dead of night, the black dots scattered within my vision.

I didn't register my head resting on top of the mop of curly brown hair, or my parents cooing at my cuteness (Who could blame them?)- just the soft feeling of floating and then waking up. I couldn't dream that night, I couldn't remember leaving the cave or going back home where our house was damaged from the Nine Tails Attack. Akira had left with her family in the early hours of the morning and the Nine Tail Fox had been sealed into Naruto. The course of the series was beginning and I only had six years to go till I had to begin to fight to protect my family.

I laid on my back, staring at the ceiling of my room and counting how many holes there were. Mum had gone down to make sure all of her friends were unharmed and Dad was going around the house fixing bits and bobs.

...Why did Sakura have to be put onto such a crappy team?

* * *

"Fuyuko, meet your baby sister... Sakura."

She was tiny, rested into the cradle of my arms with ease and was just... _tiny_. I remember holding my baby brother for the first time in my Old Life but it was nothing like this. My bratty brother was screaming and crying when my mum from my Old Life gave him to me. Sakura was just silent, her eyes open to reveal that bluey-brown that all babies had. Her fingers were creepily long for a baby and she was powdered pink.

For a baby, I thought she was pretty ugly because to me all babies looked the same.

I could almost trick myself that I was holding my baby brother.

When Mum took her out of my arms though and she started crying until she was returned to my arms, that's when I really started to smile at her, started to really think of her as a sibling, not just another character. Sakura fell asleep in my arms slowly with a piece of my hair in her grasp, Mebuki staring at the two of us with tears in her eyes and I kind of panicked, thinking that she was in pain. When I asked if she was okay, she flapped her hand at me and covered her mouth. The tears falling as she stared at Sakura and me sat in the chair of the room.

"I knew you'd love each other, that's all." She said, her voice choked up as Kizashi rubbed her upper arms and looked at us as well. I felt really good at that moment, like we were a real family. I felt almost selfish for hating Sakura at first, for stealing Mum and Dad away from me but now I know that I was her sister.

Her _neechan_.

We wouldn't have the same kind of thing going on like Itachi and Sasuke but then again no one would- but I would make this one promise that I know I'll regret. I promised to take care of Sakura, be the big sister that _I _had always wanted, protect her, give her advice, talk to her about boy troubles. Be a real sister to her and not pass this chance up. Sakura was going to be around a long long _long _time- and I would make sure of that. So witht he silent promise that my Mum and Dad would never hear, I smiled down at the baby asleep in my arms.

She was going to be precious person. One of the first.

Jeez and I told myself there would be no melodramatic speeches.

* * *

**Jinx: Well there you go, Chapter 2. Fuyuko starts the Academy, Nine Tails Attack, Sakura's born, this one was hard for me to write because I suck at continuity and my previous one was quite long and I feel the need to keep chapters a similar if not longer length, but this one is a little shorter so it sucks. Erm.. once again I hoped you liked it and I hope you guys are brilliant once again and show me your love by giving me tonnes of scrumptious reviews.**


	3. Gentle Imp

**Jinx: A nice long chapter to satisfy my own paranoia, I'm surprised how easily this is coming along but no doubt that statement will just bite me in the arse later. **

**Many people have asked me question about this story, one common question being will Itachi be heavily involved in Fuyuko's life and vice versa? **

**Whilst I would love to have the arrogance to try and slot my own OC with a main character, Fuyuko and Itachi shall not be too heavily involved with one another. Their relationship in the first Arc is similar to your mum's being best friends but you don't really know their kid and try to keep your mum happy by playing nice. The times also don't fit if Itachi was to be placed on Fuyuko's team BECAUSE Itachi graduates after a year of the Academy whilst Fuyuko graduates at the average age of twelve. Which would mean major plot fuck up that I'm not willing to do just yet. So a lot of you have been asking if they are going to be BFF's or something like that, the answer is no because frankly- Fuyuko annoys Itachi slightly and Itachi is just a character to Fuyuko at first she's met a couple of times. **

**Phew, that's over and done with- but there is a poll on my profile if you could take a peak.**

**Disclaiming Naruto: Nuts, I know. **

* * *

"Fuwie." It was badly pronounced and I could feel my face burn in embarassement and pride whilst my parents howled in laughter. Sakura just looked at me smugly like she had won the lottery, barely six or seven months old and she calls me that. I just grin at her despite my face matching the colour of my hair now and wave my hands, watching as she crawls across the floor to me. My first word had been food, her's had been a butchered version of my name. I felt like a God was chuckling somewhere up there but I just tickled her chin and gave her forehead a kiss; a secret grin flirting with my lips.

I was her favourite, suck on _that_.

She snuggled closer into my t-shirt, close enough so I could smell the pretty jasmine scented soap Mum had used to bathe her in. Small tufts of pale pink hair already forming on her tender scalp. Her eyes that emerald green just a couple shades lighter than my own. I was terrified we were going to look too alike or too dissimilar but her button nose and slightly crooked smile gave me hope that she would be a beauty in her own rights.

And I would make sure she wasn't a Sasuke fangirl, the cute little infant snuggled against me in bunny pajamas would not be his mindless slave. I sat back on the sofa, being careful not to jostle Sakura too much and not minding when Kizashi put his arm over the back of the sofa- my head resting in the crook of his elbow.

"Fuyie." Sakura murmurs softly once again around her thumb and i feel kind of awkward at the love that this kid was showing. Okay because Mebuki and Kizashi were going out a bit more now, I fed her, bathed her a bit more, changed her nappies and put her to bed in the cot of our shared rooms. I smile at her and continue to watch whats on TV- not minding when Mum tries to secretly take a picture of us. By secretly I mean she forgot to turn of the flash or hide the actual camera.

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

Sakura-chan!" I called out desperately- looking underneath the sofa at the scattered sweetie wrapper and the occasional spider. I doubt my baby sister would have crawled under the tiny gap but it never hurts to check. Baby sister, Sakura, the baby sister which had turned out to be smarter than I gave her credit for. The intelligence of Sakura Haruno astounded me in the Anime but I didn't realize it ran this deep. She was smart, we all knew that but now she was nearly one and a half and had the same vocabulary as I did when I was three.

She scared me sometimes because she talked to me through the baby monitor- she asked me where I was, if I'd come play with her, how was my day. I doubt she knew what she was saying half of the time or what I was saying most of the time but it was nice. But today was the first time I had been left alone with Sakura. A big sisters job to take care of her little sister.

I wondered why Mebuki and Kizashi were insane enough to let a seven year old handle a too intelligent one year old.

Mum and Dad had been going out a lot more lately, whether leaving us with babysitters or our Auntie. I knew it would happen eventually, it was the only explanation I could come up with to why Sakura's parents weren't mentioned all that much in the anime before that big special episode/move thing. Mebuki didn't come from a Shinobi family, but a merchant family and she had carried on the tradition to a certain point. that point had only grown after Sakura's birth so now she and Kizashi travelled round Konoha peddling their goods. Eventually it would extend to around the Land of Fire and to other countries.

"Sakura-chan! You win, I lose!" I call out, hearing a childish giggle from in the kitchen, running in I could only sigh in relief when I spotted the pink haired baby sat in the bottom cupboard- her eyes peaking out from through the small crevice of the door. I got on my knees in front of the cupboard and hummed in amusement "Oh where, oh where could my imouto be?"

I snapped the doors open and laughed as Sakura pouted at me.

"Got'cha!" I told her and swept her into my arms. She giggled that obnoxious baby giggle which made me smile and laugh myself- planting her wet sloppy kisses on my cheek that didn't make me smile and laugh. It was actually pretty disgusting, at least I didn't have to _change_ her that often. She was rather good in that respect. I lifted her up and quietly shut the cupboard with my foot, moving us both to sit in the living-room once again. The soft hum of the baby channel played on the screen and as soon as I placed Sakura on the floor, she was enraptured about the cartoon about a girl becoming a Moon Guardian or something like that.

I didn't really mind because I knew Akira would be coming round at some point. Oh yes, Akira. After the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, after I rescued Akira from her terrible fate.. of being lost- we just started talking. Whilst she was really, really, really small- she packed a punch. I couldn't forget the shiner she gave me after we got paired up for spars one day in the Academy.

There wasn't even a knock on the door, she just walked in casually- no manners, uncouth and rude. Her brown hair piled into buns with feathers sticking out and a notch on her shoulder as whistled a jaunty tune- wiggling her fingers at Sakura before taking a seat next to me. It was commonplace for us to have no manners when at each others place, to treat each others homes as we would our own. Her family was as good as mine, her brother Mizu being one of the weirdest kids I'd ever met but that's not the point.

"You're later than usual." I commented quietly, her tiny shoulders jumping as she shrugged casually.

"My brother trapped me in my bedroom, trying to say I was being punished or something."

"So how'd you get out?"

"Used the tree outside my window." Akira told me and to be honest I wouldn't really be surprised if it was true. You learn that Akira is not as fragile as she looks, she has a mind of her own which she definitely puts to good use. I smile at her but already see that she's getting up to play with Sakura. I think the girl just uses me for my adorable baby sister. Mum and Dd would probably walk through the door in about an hour and take Sakura of our hands and we'd head down to the park or something.

Akira wanted to paint the faces of the Hokage's but I told her that someone had already done it.

Someone probably had but I'd let Naruto have that one because it was a classic. Akira agreed with me though that she lacked originality and in that hour we had free until my parents came back- we plotted. Not malicious diabolical plotting, not yet. It was a nice quiet evening which was very normal, the silence within my own thoughts as I just babbled on with Akira didn't register to me. When I had a strange sense of deja-vu but quickly ignored the blurred faces I recalled and carried on talking.

The other world fading slowly and the only thing I could remember was the information it gave to me about this world.

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

"Alright, Hana, Fuyuko. You're sparring next." Our Academy teacher called making me nod and wince. Hana Inuzuka had a really bad grudge against me for who knows what- my bet was on Itachi and that small crush she had on him. The last time I was put against her in a spar, I was beaten into the ground with a broken arm and my teacher had to physically pull her off of me. To be fair that was when we were six (and I wasn't ready) but now we were on equal footing if not still leaning a little in her favour.

She smirked at me and made the seal of confrontation in front of her.

I did the same with a grimace knowing that it would be a trip to the infirmary tonight. We then sank into our respective fighting stances, Hana's being influenced by her Clans traditions whilst mine fitted my height and figure and ability. The crowd had back away a little bit and we had leaped away from one another as soon as the fight was called. Hana's hand twitching towards her holster, I threw myself to the right to dodge the three kunai's heading my way and brought up an arm to block the shin trying to knock me from the left.

She sent punches and kicks my way, knocking me left and right and scattering bruises like a game of dot-to-dot. Eventually I was forced to duck in such a way the she tried to slam her heel down onto the joint of my leg, a well known way to shatter the entire tibia. I growled I dodged it by moving my leg to the side a bit before flicking upwards and catching under her chin. She skidded back a good metre or two and I stood up and dropped into offence.

She rubbed her jaw and then dashed back at me and whilst she still threw her punches and I dodged, I gave my own kicks and punches back. The satisfying feel of my knuckles hitting into her ribs when she left her side exposed and knocking her back. I really wanted to straddle her and just send punches to her face, break her nose and hurt her worse than she did to me but Mebuki taught me that revenge wasn't the answer. Not in public anyway, you did it sneakily and made sure that no evidence was left behind. Kizashi had gotten a kick out of that and prodded mebuki, asking her if she was the one which dyed his hair green when they were children.

Back onto the subject though because our Academy Teacher was ready to intervene. He put his hands out in front of both of us and made sure we couldn't attack each other. usually he let spars play out till the winner but usually with the two of us the loser had to go to the hospital. I immediately formed the seal of reconciliation and so did Hana- we locked our fingers and walked away from one another.

Such a shame that I accidentally dropped that itching powder in her pocket when we were sparring.

And I had an arsenal of flea jokes up my sleeve.

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

"Team 13, Haruno Fuyuko..." I glanced up as our teacher called my name, this was it after-all. this was when I'd get my team. I kind of hoped to have that bond, you know... _that bond_. Like they were my second family or something. We were all in the same boat and I kinda hoped that we could all be good friends, call me naive but it's a nice dream okay?

"Tanaka Ryota," okay, that was the guy two rows behind me who never handed in his homework and complained about every little thing that anyone did. Brilliant. he and my fist are going to get along swimmingly.

"And Nakamura Masashi." One row in front of me and one seat to the left, quiet, a bit creepy but I can work with creepy. He turns and catches my eyes, I automatically want to look away since he basically caught me staring at him. A faint blush rising in my cheeks but he gave me a faint smile and a curt nod. I return the gesture and turn to give Ryota the same gesture but when I do he just rolls his eyes and says a word which I shouldn't have known at such a tender young age.

I raised an eyebrow at him, a small smirk ready on my lips as my best revenge ideas came into my head.

Back in my Old Life, people knew better than to piss me off because I never backed off, I just got even. Like this one time a girl cornered me with a load of her friends and then for the next three weeks, dead rats kept appearing in their lockers and in the drawers of their desks. I dipped my head and stared at the blank piece of paper, ready to write every idea for revenge. It was petty yes, but an effective way to curb my temper. I did however see my Academy teacher watching us from the corner of his eye and shaking his head. It's not my fault we were put together bub, it's not my fault at all! Jeez.

I sat there in silence though, waiting as our teacher announced every name on the list and the teams. I just sat back in my chair, head lolled over the back- ears perking up though when I heard a familiar name.

"-Akira, Yamanka Kihaku and-"

I always listened in at the wrong parts, I didn't even hear what Akira's Team number was.

I really had hoped that my teacher would be cool though because Sakura had a cool teacher, if not slightly, mostly a pervert. I wanted Anko really, just someone who was a little less sane than what the regulations probably accounted for would be nice and amusing.

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

I would be lying if I said that I got along swimmingly with my teammates.

I'd be lying if I said that I thought that Ryota had the manners of royalty and was as sweet as apple pie.

A big enough lie that my Mum would threaten to cut my tongue out for because everyone knew we were a ticking time bomb. We were one of the worst put together teams and since Team 7 wouldn't be around for a while, we were going to keep that title for a little while longer. Team jinx, Team Screw-Everything-Up, Team time bomb.

Masashi was weird, weirder than weird but I wouldn't call him by any other adjective. that would be just rude. he had orange eyes, and I'm talk Naruto orange here, and these family jutsu's which involved poison and tentacles. I had never seen him fight but it just sounded creepy... and on the butt of every hentai joke in the Academy. He was quiet but he seemed intelligent. I suppose.

Ryota was an asshole and though I was twelve and not supposed to use such language, it fitted him perfectly. So lazy and never pulling his weight, he didn't even bring proper weapons to the Academy. He just piled himself with sebon needles, two to tie his hair up and five in each sleeve with probably a thousand more somewhere. Covert he says? Lazy I say. He does have an extensive weaponry arsenal, I've seen it. When he actually tries- it's kind of scary when he brings out the massive axe that his Dad had apparently made for him.

I felt kind of sorry for our sensei but that was before Kyoko-Sensei introduced herself.

She stood there in a strict position, feet shoulder-width apart, arms behind her back, gaze calculating and I half expected the infamous Kakashi phrase to slip from her lips '_My first impression? you're all idiots_'. No, she remained blank face and calm as she waited for Ryota to stop complaining about having a female teacher. Arrogant little sexist prick- I would have chopped him up into little pieces if Mum had let me take the katana Auntie gave to me for my birthday last year.

"My name is Fujiwara Kyoko, I will be your sensei for the remainder of your time as a genin. You will listen and you will obey," Her voice was cool and clipped, reminding me of Sai's to a point but the stoic expression falling with her sarcastic smile flirting with her lips "Don't make me regret teaching you."

I decided then and there she was my new favourite- kickass female sensei?

This was around the time when my Inner Fangirl was let loose.

She asked us to follow her to a place where the introductions could begin and at that moment in time I thought nothing of it. We followed her through the city of Konoha until we came tot he place most Genin I'd spoken to dreaded having to go for missions. The Torture and Interrogation Unit below the Hokage Tower. A place I had only dreamed of going to.

I'm not sadistic, just creative.

My moral compass had originally been conflicted on the matter of being a Ninja as it would mean that I would have to kill. Killing is wrong, no matter what and that's what my heart told me. it told me I was a murderer and that i was committing a sin that no God would ever forgive me for. i told myself that God didn't really have to give a fuck, he gave me a new life and a new life means new morals. A new lifestyle where killing is commonplace. Killing for a living but I knew I wouldn't be able to do that fully, I wanted to help.

What more help could I give than extracting enemy information?

All three of us gazed around in awe as we went through hallways and passed cell after cell, we even passed Ibiki's office. He sat there hunched over his desk holding papers in one hand and his head in the other. Quickly we came to the end of the hallway, to Kyoko-sensei's office. My sensei was an interrogator and all I could hear was the '_cha-ching_' of my luck just rolling in today. First, a cool sensei, second, a cool sensei _who was an Interrogator_, thirdly, we were going to be a new Torture and Interrogation styled Genin team.

Think about it.

T & I requires a varied skill set and arsenal of tools- one which our new Genin team provided with Masashi's family Jutsu's and wide ninjutsu talents, Ryota's weaponry expertise (Even though he only brought Sebon) and hard ass attitude, and my genjutsu abilities and creativity. The creativity would really give me an edge here.

"My name is Kyoko, my age is irrelevant but in early thirties if you must know. I am an interrogator and that is all you _need_ to know at the moment." She stated, pushing a loose strand of hair out of her eyes and sizing us up in a not-so-subtle manner. Neither Masashi nor Ryota took the silence between the group to step up and start the introductions. So like a little teachers-pet I would become, I decide to take the initiative.

"My name is Haruno Fuyuko, I am twelve and aim to be an Interrogator." Both teammates stared at me and I could only beam slightly as Kyoko-Sensei dipped her head in acknowledgement at my aspiration. I really hope that was an approving glint in her and not the decision to slice and dice me into chunky cubes. Ryota snorts under his breath, suspiciously sounding like **Kiss-ass**. He had taken a lazy posture, slumping in his chair as he swung on it's hind legs. The blur under the table, which looked suspiciously like Kyoko-Sensei's leg, kicked his chair and sent him sprawling onto the cold wooden floorboards.

Everyone ignored him.

"My name is Kimura Masashi, I am also twelve and aim to be part of the Torture and Interrogation corporation." Masashi stated quietly, his hands folded on his lap and held eye contact with Kyoko-sensei for a good thirty seconds before she did the same as she did with me and dipped her head in acknowledgement. If I hand't been looking at Masashi in a non-creepy way, I would have missed how the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile and the faint blush spilt across his pale cheeks.

...He was a cutie. Unconventional cutie but adorable all the same.

I didn't bother listening to Ryota's monotone introduction tat he gave after he got up onto his chair, and also the remark about his teammates (**Note: Me**) that made Kyoko-Sensei kick him out of his chair once again. Nakamura Ryota, down for the count.

"Most sensei's would test your capacities at this point, Maito Gai is testing his Teams skills as we speak but you all shall not be tested now," Kyoko-Sensei stated bluntly and it all surprised me that she knew Gai as well as she obviously did. "you shall be tested over the period of a month for three things, combat skills, intelligence gathering and teamwork. If one of you fails one category, you all fail. Simple as that, do I make myself clear?"

Three nods in unison.

"Training begins at nine AM at training ground 7." The woman stated, waving her hand dismissively and watching as we all trotted out of the office like good little lambs. We walked out of the T & I corps twenty minutes later since it was a maze of winding corridors and Ryota was an asshole and tried to take the lead, but ended up leading us to Ibiki's office. The man wasn't happy to find three brats outside of his office,t hat was for sure- so we high-tailed it back and went with Masashi's directions.

"We could head over to my house and get to know each other a bit?" Masashi asked the moment we all got out of the building- kind of striking me since he didn't seem the type to socialize really. Ryota just shrugged his shoulders and I nodded, so he led the way. His family lived a couple of streets away from mine, being of both Ninja and Civilian origins. His house wasn't exceptionally big but a little bigger than my own. His little brother greeting us at the door as well as his older brother and sisters. I didn't realize that Masashi had so many siblings, two brothers and three sisters... his parents really needed a new hobby.

"Kaachan, these are my teammates. Ryota-san and Fuyuko-san." Masashi introduced us to the plump woman stood in front of the stove. The woman smiled at us, wiping her flour coated hands onto her apron.

"It's so nice to meet you, would you like to stay for dinner?" She was sweet.

"Oh no thank you ma'am, I'm having dinner with my own parents. " I replied politely and ignored the way my eyebrow twitched in annoyance when Ryota simply grunted rudely in agreement with my statement. I watched as the womans face fell slowly and she nodded in understanding.

"That's okay, Masa-chan's never brought any friends home before is all."

Oh wow.

Hit in the gut.

Is that the smell of guilt?

Yep, and I reek of it. No don't get me wrong, I didn't personally bully or tease Masashi but I _certainly _didn't stick up for him. Which in itself, should be worse if not as bad as being part of the people that did that to him. He was really nice, once you got to know him I was sure he was really nice. The girls which did bully him and also the boys, were nasty pieces of work. I just smiled at the woman though, my cheeks pink with a lush as I ignored Masashi's whine when his mum used his childhood nickname.

"I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind _too_ much if I stayed for dinner." I told her. Masashi's mum beamed at me and I found Masashi smiling as well, not looking up at us but smiling at his shoes secretly.

Guilt buried for now.

Eventual sobbing and apologies for it imminent though.

Masashi told his mum quietly that we were going upstairs to talk in his room, I pretended not to notice his mum lean down and kiss his cheek. Ryota snorted quietly under his breath and my patience frayed further, leaving me to ram my lovely bony elbows into his lovely bony ribs. He hissed in pain but I didn't give him the time of day and followed Masashi up a flight of stairs and into his bedroom. It seemed that he shared with one of his younger siblings, the toy kunais strewn over the floor.

I smiled since Sakura would probably have the same toys later on.

Masashi took a seat on his bed, Ryota sitting on the floor whilst I sat on the chair that had been tucked uner his desk, the front pressing against my chest and legs over each side. The silence was awkward, like reeeeeallly awkward.

"Well, erm... what do you want to know really?" I ask, since I was one to die under that kind of silence. i like noise okay, whether it be music or chatter just something so it doesn't make me feel under pressure or observation. Both boys shrugged and I felt like this wasn't going to stop, I wasn't much of a talker and neither were they but I supposed I'd have to be the designated speaker of the group. Yipee. I sigh, my fringe lifting slightly and tickling my nose.

"Favourite colour?"

"Green." Both Ryota and Masashi said in unison, glaring at each other. I snicker under my breath.

"Mines brown."

"Brown?" Ryota asked incredulously, I recoiled defensively. There was nothing wrong with brown, brown is a suitable colour. It's nice and it's natural and it reminds me of chocolate. "Why not pink or something, girls like that right?"

I was ready to hit him round the head for a sexist remark when I kind of realized that he _reeeeeally _didn't know about girls. I almost pitied his future love life and future girlfriends because they had some tough work ahead of them- and also tough love if they decided they wanted to get involved with Ryota. I just shook my head though and ignored the look that Masashi sent my way as well. They'd learn in due time that not all girl was the same and that I _definitely_ wasn't one of them.

"I like brown."

"Strange... , weaknesses?" Ryota asked.

"My Ninjutsu's pretty basic but my Taijutsu and Genjutsu are pretty good." I said modestly, shrugging my shoulders.

"I have family Ninjutsu's along with some advanced ones I read up in the library, my Taijutsu's okay and Genjutsu is a little below average. It's just not my style." Masashi stated bluntly which I kind of understood since Genjutsu was pretty hard as it dealt with tricking the Chakra System with a foreign Chakra. Ryota just stated that he was average at everything except being amazing- which was when Masashi hit him round the head with a pillow.

I think we got carried away with the questions since there is some stuff which I well never unhear about the boys and them about me...

It just makes me feel gross.

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

_There comes a time when I think, what the hell do I do?_

I write this all down in my beloved diary- a journal which only unlocks to my chakra as Dad had explained. So with the idea to vent my frustrations I began to scribble furiously with the pencil. I had written a simplified timeline on the back with key events on from all around Narutoland. From Team 7's graduation to the beginning of Shippuden was all I could really fit for now but I could expand eventually.

_It's not easy, lemme tell you. It's the hardest thing being stuck in this body- there are certain things I can and can't do, certain expectations which I can't overdo. I haven't really thought about it to myself, but Narutoland has no idea about the major plot twists coming their way. None at all, and I realize whilst I may not have the most in depth knowledge about the series- I could make a difference. i felt like one of those superheroes when i first made that though but that's when i forgot about one key thing which happens early on within the series. The tragedy which twists every main characters life, knowingly or not._

_The Uchiha Massacre._

* * *

**Jinx: I have no freakin' clue what to do with the Uchiha massacre and right now I'm just like "Dude you do not want to hear about their first year as a Team because it's not that interesting". When things pick up with the plot of the series, then the updates will get longer. Good for you, bad for me. I hope you liked it though because this one was a pain in the arse. **

**So review, look at the poll do whatever ya want I need some sleep.**

**Peace out. **


	4. Rogue Rascal

**Jinx: I just want to say thank you for everyone's support in this, I might cry. I probably won't but you almost made me and that's good enough. Also just a reminder THAT THERE IS A POLL ON MY PROFILE FOR YOU TO LOOK AT, hint. This isn't as long as I hoped it would be but I had a bit of trouble with this one and all it is, is a pile of shit.**

**I disown this chapter because I can disclaim Naruto but not delete this really bad chapter.**

* * *

Sakura started the Academy this year.

I was half expecting a firm declaration of love for her little _Sasuke-kun_ but that didn't happen. Sure, she had a crush on the little Uchiha brat but which six year old little girl didn't at this point. One goal which I had failed to complete since no matter how hard I tried, Sakura just loved that kid. She would flush a bright red which matched my hair when she saw him, she'd turn an even brighter red when I'd say something about it to her. The joys of being an older sister, but she didn't say anything about my friendly teasing but tugged my hand so I wouldn't say anything more embarrassing.

She had to do the same thing as I did and tell Mum and Dad why she wanted to join the Academy.

"Because I wanna be like Neechan, I want to do something." Sakura told our parents, pumping her fist in a fashion reminiscent of our Mum. God help us if she influenced her even more. I sat by the side of the table though with a smile on my face because there wasn't a single whisper of _Sasuke-kun_ in that sentence. Oh, sue me! I was jealous. For six years, Sakura had depended on me as a sibling should and now she was being torn away from me. No more reading to her at night or playing with her, or beating up the bullies that followed her around in the playground... now that was my favourite job. Protecting her.

She'd grow up eventually and be a beautiful Kunoichi but I was going to make sure that nothing happened to her in the mean time.

"Well I guess both of my baby blossoms knowing how to defend themselves would put an old mans mind at rest." Kizashi murmured, shrugging his shoulders blandly at Mebuki who did the same action. I was kind of offended how Sakura didn't have to prove anything whilst I did but it must have been easier seeing how they had already resigned one daughter to a life as a Kunoichi.

"Guess I'm going to have to train you imouto." I told her, sighing as if it was the worst task in existence.

Sakura just frowned worriedly at the glint in my eye.

I was going to have fun with this.

And I did have fun with it- for the months before the Academy even began Sakura was brought with me to the training grounds before dinner. When Ryota and Masashi came along it was even better, Sakura quickly realized that being in a Team wasn't the easiest thing in the world. She'd need this knowledge too because her team was the team from hell. Ryota was sweet on her, tended to her every beck and call because he thought she was adorable. Ryota didn't have any brothers or sisters, just his Dad.

It was pretty cute.

Even Kyoko-sensei liked her.

Then again, she was related to me.

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

"Well ladies and Masashi." Kyoko addressed us, Masashi and I snickering when Ryota whined. "We have our first C-rank mission."

C-rank, which meant better than D-rank.

D-rank meant doing things which other people couldn't be bothered to do, like walking their dogs, like looking after their children, like washing their dishes or cleaning their house. I could have sworn the D in D-rank meant Dull as Dust. That's what it was, Ryota let his dog go because he got really annoyed, Masashi broke three plates and I wanted to smack the annoying seven year old who kept trying to grope me. It meant that we were getting somewhere with our Sensei as well since last month when we first began training, she compared us to measly worms that festered in Konoha's dirt.

_"Right, let's start with our first training session." Kyoko-sensei announced, clapping her hands together with a smile that made my skin crawl and a knot of dread well up in my stomach. There were very few times I had seen Kyoko-sensei smile genuinely and most of those were when she was in Ibiki-san's presence. Today we were in Training Ground 7 this fine morning, it having a nice view over the hills to show us Konoha as a whole. It was one of the few places in Konoha I hadn't managed to find._

_Kyoko-Sensei had us sit down next to each other, her stood in front._

_"By now, one of you must have rubbed two brain cells together to work out that you will be on of the first T & I based Genin teams," The woman muttered dryly, a hand on one hip and the other swaying by her thigh though the twitch of her fingertips revealing to me that she was still alert as ever. " You will be a single mobile unit at Konoha's dispense, you will be a Team throughout your entire Shinobi careers due to the harmony of your skills so you better get along otherwise it'll be a bumpy ride."_

_I was kind of startled at that, I knew that Genin teams tended to stay in contact no matter what rank they were in and some carried on to be specialized- such as the Ino-Shika-Cho combination. It really hadn't sunk in though that these to boys would be by my side in the battlefield for most of my life... Greeeeeaaat. My enthusiasm must have been noticed since Kyoko-sensei snorted and ruffled my hair as she walked past us._

_"Don't worry Fuyuko-chan, you'll have them house broken in no time." her smile was vicious and I couldn't help but smirk. the boys gulping in unison as it quickly became known who Sensei's favourite was. There wasn't going to be any jealousy because Kyoko-sensei would treat us fairly and equally but when it came down to it. It was nice to know I was her favourite._

_I was two for two._

_"But our first training session will be a Team Building exercise, whilst you will be working on this outside of training. it would be nice to know you have the ability to put aside your differences." Her voice was teasing and I could only glance at the boys, there was no way she'd make it easy for us. Kyoko-sensei noticed this and her smirk widened to a feral grin that made my hackles rise. "Your task is to complete the obstacle course Anko and Ibiki have been so kind to set up for you."_

_Anko._

_Ibiki._

_Not good._

_It didn't seem that bad at first, a couple of dummy's that weren't her team-mates which you had to use for target practice- twenty bulls-eyes to advance to three trees which they had to climb in any way or form. Then they were to race one another to the other side of Konoha before finishing 20 laps around Konoha and meeting back at the Training grounds._

_I just remember winning and then collapsing at Kyoko-sensei's feet as she handed us three bottles of water and told us we'd surprised her._

_I liked to think of it as the birth of Team 13, the team of screw ups which aim to surprise._

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

"I need you to protect my heiress, Himimura Akina." The woman murmured, stepping aside for us to see outside into the garden where the small girl swung back and forth on a swing. "There isn't much of a threat but it's better safe than dead."

She seemed kind of sad in my opinion, the little girl, just staring at her feet and it was pretty cold outside so why was she just in a thin kimono? I frowned, watching the kid as she swung back and forth over and over again. Masashi and Kyoko-sensei chatting away with our employer. I didn't say a word as I stepped out onto the patio and into the garden, the employer calling out to me but quickly quietened.

"I'd appreciate, Himimura-sama, that you allowed my team do their job." Her voice was clipped and professional but I saw the subtle wink she sent my way- nice to know I had her support. I walked through the intricate garden, being careful when crossing the small bridge over the deep koi ponds. The girl was staring at me now, Akina's long wisps of violet hair neatly pinned back into a strict bun. Her eyes a wide honey colour which went well with the amber flare of the sun setting on the garden.

I didn't go too close, I didn't want to scare her. So I sat down a good metre or two away from her and smiled- the kind of smile I gave to Sakura but never the same one. (Can't have baby Sakura getting jealous now, can we?) I lifted my hand in greeting, waving and watching in amusement as she turned around to see if there was someone behind her. She was tugging on my heartstrings as she pointed to herself, as if to ask if it was her I was waving to. I nodded, the blush on her cheeks making my smile grow even bigger.

She was about Sakura's age but she had a certain look about her that made her seem older than she was. She had pretty doll like features and a fragile disposition but I knew better to judge a book by it's cover.

"Haruno Fuyuko."

"Himimura Akina."

"You look like you need to lighten up."

"You look like you're stupid."

"Best you could do?" I chuckled when she stuck her tongue out at me, despite the indignant splutter of our employer. I sat there and just chatted with her until my team came out into the open and joined us. All sat in a circle around the one little girl, Kyoko-Sensei and our Employer sat on the bench discussing details of the mission. Ryota laid flat on his stomachs as he gazed into the Koi ponds and Masashi watched him like a hawk. Wondering if there would be an opportunity to push him in.

Akina giggled along with us and the haunted look within her honeycomb eyes lessened to an extent but with the stuff I was hearing from our Sensei's conversation; I wasn't surprised this girl was so damaged. Her clan was barbaric, primal, the only need was to be Alpha.

"In tradition, once a member of the Himimura clan reaches over five years old. They are considered eligible to take part in Clan Politics- a fight to the death with members of their own age group. This is to weed out the _weak_ and the _useless_ so we can thrive-"

I could see the subtle twitch in Kyoko-sensei's jaw as she tried to smile and nod in understanding, knowing the rules that_ The customer is always right_. Even when they're wrong as hell but she was the one paying us. Can't really just stand up and say 'NOPE!'. Though I bet Kyoko-sensei wished she had by the end of our mission because it seemed a running thing for me and Sakura.

Our C-rank escalated into an A-rank with the one word; Rebellion.

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

**Third P.O.V**

There wasn't much to the situation- their Team had been watching Akina like they were paid to do.

They were attacked by the Branch Clan and also a group of Main Clan members.

There were too many.

Kyoko prided herself for being able to take a step back and looking at a situation with perspective but no matter what perspective she viewed this situation- it was going to shit. Her Genin, fresh shiny new Genin that had their still minty smell, were forced to fight for their life. Masashi was protecting Fuyuko at the moment- Ryota holding off other Shinobi going for Akina. She slashed downwards and grimaced as blood spattered against her uniform, the mess which someone else would have to clean up thankfully. Her kunai holstered once again, she glanced around the battlefield.

Seventeen fatalities.

Twenty three injured.

Fourteen civilians and sixteen Shinobi involved in the fray.

"Ryota- get Akina out of here!" Kyoko called over to the younger boy, he glanced away for a second- his eyes darting to his team-mates briefly- before nodding. He reached down and scooped up the petite plum-haired child before making away on the slate roofs which had been damaged by the explosion. That was one safe and unfortunately placed the other two in critical. Her teeth gritted as she reached down and pulled out a single throwing blade that had been the signature of the Himimura Clan; with a flick of her wrist, it soared towards where her two students were. Slicing the jugular vein and slitting one enemies neck with precision she prided herself in.

Dashing over there, she caught one enemies blade with her arm-guard- knocking it off balance and using the momentum to knock them out and down for the count. She glanced back and watched as the Himimura Clan took control of the rest of the situation, her worried gaze directed to the red head who's blood was pooling like water from cupped hands. it was getting harder to tell what was her hair and what was blood. the smell of her singed flesh was enough to make the trained gag reflex of Kyoko give for a millisecond.

Masashi was tired, the sheen of sweat glimmering as the light of fires which roared on in several different districts caught his skin.

She placed a hand on his head though and smiled at him, the rare smile she gave anyone outside of her Team. He sighed in relief, turning to follow where Ryota had gone as Kyoko lifted the Kunoichi off of the dirty floor. Fuyuko rattled for a moment and opened her eye blearily at her, a smug smile twisting her lips despite the beads of blood now slipping down her forehead and into her eyes.

"Di' I win?" Her voice slurred making Kyoko smile.

"Hai, Fuyuko-chan, you won. Now you need to stay awake to win the entire game, okay?" Kyoko spoke quietly to the half-lucid girl. The red head whined in protest and her eyes fluttering shut, a knot welling in Kyoko's chest as she searched for the pulse, for the movement of her chest. There was nothing so that knot in her chest grew to a fire which wouldn't be quenched, the panic which was consuming her. She wasn't about to lose one of her Genin, not her first team. Not HER team.

Her feet worked double time to reach the infirmary on the Himimura Compound, leaping over corpses and ignoring the wails of other civilians and shinobi. She ran up the marble staircase and burst into the infirmary, a nurse spying the blood seeping into her vest and gliding like liquid rubies down the fabric. She grabbed another nurse and took Fuyuko off of her hands; laying her down on the stark white infirmary bed, Kyoko had to blink so the young girl wasn't just a mass of crimson on a white blanket.

The deep cut on her head, the broken ribs which were _visible_ through her top and the blackened flesh around her right hand.

She felt Masashi and Ryota stand on either side of her, none of them minding as the white curtain was drawn to divide the nurses and the remainder of Team 13. Her sigh was shaky, a slight quiver within the balance of her breathing but both boys had caught it. With her hand on their backs, she lead them to the small waiting room outside of the infirmary where they occupied three armchairs near the back of the room and with perfect view of the door. Masashi sat pin straight with his eyes focused upon the door, Ryota curled up asleep in his own armchair whilst Kyoko-Sensei took on a sombre posture with her elbows rested on her knees and head in hands.

The small cuts on Masashi's arms were slowly healing on their own, the blood dry against his skin and flaking away. Kyoko watched him and reached over to ruffle his hair like she did with Fuyuko- then taking her jacket off to cover Ryota. The small gestures making it all the more obvious how much she was worried.

"She'll be okay Sensei," Kyoko heard Masashi mutter, looking up at her with a confidant but small smile.

"You willing to place a bet on that, Masashi-chan?"

"My life, Fuyuko-chan's not going to die this way. She has too much pride for it." The duo snorted in amusement before settling back into silence.

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

_-Back in Konoha, after Fuyuko had been stabilized-_

"Morning sleeping beauty." Ryota muttered sarcastically from my bedside when I first woke up, the faint sound of a head being slapped resounded in the blinding white room before Kyoko-Sensei's worried face came into my line of sight. Her copped hair dragging over my body as she seemed to inspect me, the palm of her hand going to her forehead making me squirm since they were ice cold.

"You gave us quite a scare Fuyuko-chan." Kyoko-Sensei muttered under her breath and looking at me in disappointment, the heaviness in my chest was like when Mum had scolded me and I couldn't help but feel guilty. I apologized under my breath and tried to sit up in my bed, Ryota reluctantly helping me up. "I wouldn't be moving around too much either because you broke four of your ribs, punctured a lung, they said your left leg is healing and the chakra network in your right hand was frazzled."

I winced at the list and imagined I looked like hell, accepting the glass of water from Ryota silently. The cool water helping the burning of my throat. I put the glass down next to me and noticed that Masashi wasn't in the room, raising an eyebrow at Ryota.

"He went down to the cafeteria." He told me solemnly and we both sent a silent and over-dramatic prayer that he would make it out alive. Kyoko-sensei chuckled behind a hand, returning to her seat.

"So what happened to the guy?" I ask innocently, picking up the water again and drinking it in big gulps. No time to waste, I had no idea how long I was out for. The look Kyoko-sensei gave me was one I'd never forget, it was like the first time we accidentally interrupted an interrogation. Her eyes were cold with a steel like quality that only seemed to fade but never disappear, a single corner of her mouth tugged downwards and making the scar on her cheek more prominent.

"Fuyuko, your last hit sliced him in half. The katana severed his spinal cord."

**Murderer, what would Mum say? **A voice echoed in my head. I shook slightly, tremors running through my veins which had decided to inhabit glaciers all of a sudden. The blood frozen and my eyes wide as the fact that my first kill had occurred. It was part of every ninjas life but most could remember it. I ignored the quiet whispering in the back of my skull and glanced up at Ryota who didn't really look me in the eyes. I felt my face flush in shame as I stared at my hands, I didn't want to look up and see the empathy that Kyoko-sensei was no doubt trying to convey. I didn't want to hear the soothing words from Ryota that would ring false.

"...Could you... just leave." I choked, my throat clogged as the familiar sting made me flush even further.

There was no way in _hell_ I was going to cry in front of them.

So Kyoko-sensei nodded in agreement and tugged Ryota along by his ear- his whines fading as they got further away. their chakra signatures blinking before fading so I knew that they were really gone. A startled sob ripped from my lips as I tried to stifle it, both knees brought up to my chest as my tears seeped through the thin hospital blanket. I ignored the burn of my ribs as the sobs shook me, I tried to hit myself, to tell myself to shut up, to be logical.

**Did you really think you could do this?** The voice echoed in my head, it's voice grating and making more tears spill down my cheeks. As they fell they were hot against my cheek but when I wiped them away they were nothing but frigid cold tears. I moved my hands to my ears, a childish attempt to stop hearing the voice.

**What would Marie think? Joshua? Scott? **Names and faces flew into my head as painstaking clarity struck me, the people I had left behind and forgotten to come to this place.

_Who the hell are you?_

**I'm you, or what you used to be. You're Yang and I'm Ying. **The voice told me and the image of Inner Sakura popped into my head and another sob filtered through my lips despite how hard I pressed them together. I looked ugly when I cried. I felt ugly on the inside as I realized that I had fractured myself by trying to throw myself into this new world. Was this how Sakura felt? not being able to express herself and relying on the opinions inside of her head to form the person she wanted to be?

This was the person I used to be though.

"Fuyuko-chan?"

Glancing up, forgetting about the embarrassing fact that I was crying. I spotted Masashi with some ramen in hand, his smile crooked as he simply walked over to the side of my bed. I saw the black eye he had, the numerous cuts across his neck and the visible skin of his arms. My mouth dropped slightly in disbelief as I automatically ran a fingers over a few of the scars left behind.

"What happened...?" His smile grew a little bit as he set the ramen onto the bedside table.

"Well, when you passed out someone had to take care of you and- Fuyuko?" He paused and I realized that I had started crying again. Goddamn these tear ducts, they were broken beyond repair right eyes were wide and he was panicking which made me laugh but it sounded more like a sob to my own ears. He had no idea what to do so I just leant my forehead on his shoulder and cried silently for a good half an hour. One of his arms wrapping around me and he tried to comfort me the best he could.

We just sat there for a good hour, my head resting on his shoulder and he patted my back awkwardly. I had thoughts about fanfictions which I had read in my previous life, my Old Life;

**All you have to do now is look up and tell him you love him, then he'll say it back to you and you'll kiss. How romantic...** Ying sighed in my head, her voice floating away onto cloud nine dreams of romance that never really happens. And nothing would happen really because the only thing I felt for Masashi was trust. He was my team-mate, my good friend and if all of us stuck together for the rest of our Shinobi careers- then we'd be a family. I could practically feel the fantasy my fractured consciousness concocted break into pieces.

I smiled into his shoulder, pulling away and scrubbing at my eyes which were no doubt red and puffy.

"You think we should let my imouto in the room?"

"She has been stood outside for a good twenty minutes." Masashi agreed, smiling at me and getting up to open the door for Sakura. The little blur of pink running into the room and jumping onto my bed quicker than I could say 'You shall no pass'. Masashi left the room and that left me with a sobbing six year old who was clinging to my side. Her eyes puffy and red, much like my own, a drivel of snot that was quickly wiped away but she just held me. I didn't say anything but held her as well, my arms over her shoulders and chin on top of her head.

"I-Iruka-sensei said you got hurt. Rea-ally badly." Sakura sniffled, her voice hitching as she tried to calm down her breathing. I silently cursed the new Sensei for making her worry but smiled all the same.

"I'm fine imouto, Medic-chan fixed me up so I'll be good as new." I was kind of surprised to see her frown angrily at me.

"NO! You're not allowed to be a ninja no more." She declared, snuggling into my chest and I was about to snark back at her but her words make me stop. "I'm not going to let you get hurt like this, I don't wanna lose you Neechan."

I didn't say anything to that but kissed her head and re-wrapped my arms around her.

The beep of the monitor the only sound in the room, telling me that I'm still alive and that my heart was still beating.

* * *

**Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ**

* * *

"Kaachan! I'm fine." I mutter, batting my hand at her as she tries to help me walk- yea apparently I had broken a leg as well. They just forgot to tell me. Stupid medics. So here I was hobbling around in my own home like an invalid, Sakura was fussing constantly and Mum joining in on this. Dad was the only one who knew that I didn't want any help- granted he did come into my bedroom in the night just to make sure I hadn't fallen out of bed, leaving a cup of water for me as the only proof he was concerned.

"Neechan, we just want to help." Sakura murmured, watching me as I hobbled around the room. Both of them sighing when I tripped and crashed face first into the floor.

"...Not one word."

**Did you have a nice trip?**

_Funny, piss off Ying._

**Oh well, see you next fall.**

* * *

**Jinx: I am dying to get to the actual plot so I can write shorter but snappier chapters because right now, I think I'm just setting the scene and making the back grounds. Yes Sakura shall be a bit better than in the original time line because I very much doubt any self-respecting Kunoichi would have her sister wandering around playing ninja and falling over her own feet after some twat. Thank you for the comments people have made in their reviews, it's been a big help**


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